A Student's Guide to Gyms Near Queen's University Belfast

Moving to Belfast for university is a lot at once. New city, new people, new everything. Staying active can slide down the list fast, usually somewhere around the point you realise the campus gym is heaving every evening and there is a queue for the one machine you wanted.

If you would rather train somewhere with room to breathe, here is the case for looking just up the road into the city centre.

You are probably in town anyway

Between lectures, part time shifts, nights out and half your mates living in the centre, a lot of student life happens in town rather than on campus. A city centre gym fits around that. You train on your way in, between things, or on the way home, without making a special trip of it.

Plenty of Belfast student accommodation sits right in or beside the centre too, so for a lot of you Sloan's is closer than the campus gym anyway.

Easy to reach from Queen's

We are on Chapel Lane, right in the heart of BT1. From the Queen's quarter it is a short bus up, or a walk on a decent day. No car needed, which suits most students fine, since there is no car park and you would not want the hassle of one in town.

Ulster University's Belfast campus is close by as well, so wherever you are based, we are not far.

Not heaving at six o'clock

Here is the bit that matters most. University gyms get rammed, especially in the evening when everyone finishes for the day at the same time. Sloan's does not. We are known for being never overcrowded, so there is no queue for the squat rack and nobody hovering while you finish a set. If a packed gym is the thing that quietly puts you off going, that alone might change the maths. You can read more in our guide to training somewhere quiet in the city centre.

Somewhere to actually spend time

There is a café and lounge as well, which is more useful than it sounds when you are a student. Grab a coffee, get an hour of reading done, meet a mate before or after a session. It is a place you can settle into rather than clock in and leave.

New to the gym? So is half of first term.

If you have never really trained before, you are in good company. Loads of people start in their first year with no idea where to begin, and a calmer floor is a far kinder place to find your feet than a packed one with everyone watching. There is genuinely no judgement here about where you are starting from. Everyone was new once.

Student membership

We keep it simple and student friendly. Pop in or send us a message and we will talk you through the options and what suits you.

Come and see for yourself

The best way to judge a gym is to stand in it. Pop in, have a look around, no pressure at all.

We are open Monday to Friday from 6am to 9pm, Saturday from 8am to 6pm, and Sunday from 10am to 6pm.

Find us at 2-4 Chapel Ln, Belfast BT1 1HH, or send us a message with any questions. If you fancy a gym in the middle of the city that is never a scrum, come and say hello.